Youthful Days (Book 1)

21. Bully

True to Momoko's predictions, the finger-pointing and whispers died down a week later. After that, the initial shock from their relationship appeared to have faded and became outdated news. To Ayuna's relief, her life at school returned to normal, and she was grateful that this minor turbulence had passed.

On Wednesday, Ayuna passed the gap hour between her last class and badminton practice in the school library to finish her homework. Even though she found the floor oddly vacant, she didn't think much of it. When the hour ended, Ayuna packed up her belongings to leave like every other week.

As soon as she was outside, she was abruptly circled by a pack of girls. They had her cornered at an obscure junction, out of sight from the main passageways, and stared her down like predators to prey.

Unable to recognize most of their faces, she figured most must be from the upper years.

The leading girl stepped out of the semi-circle, her dyed hair tucked behind her ears to reveal a string of silver piercings. Standing over Ayuna, she spoke in a shrill voice, "You're Hanamachi Ayuna?"

"That's my name," answered Ayuna blandly.

"Do you realize what the hell you're doing?!"

"Leaving the library building?"

"Cut the smart talk!" Irked, she took a menacing step forward, "You're dating Fuji Shuusuke, aren't you?"

"That's none of your business."

"Is that any way to speak to a senior, you disrespectful bitch?"

Ayuna looked her squarely in the eye. "I'm not sure who's the one being disrespectful here."

Thoroughly offended, the leader inhaled sharply. "You have guts to speak to me like this, Hanamachi. But since you're younger, I'll let you off the hook this one time and get to the real problem here: you need to break up with Fuji Shuusuke immediately."

"As I said before, I don't think this concerns you."

"I don't give a shit what you think." The leader raised her chin authoritatively, "By dating him, you're violating the rules, especially because you're just a dumb freshman. What makes you think you can jump in and steal him? Fuji Shuusuke is only to be admired and he doesn't belong to anyone!"

Ayuna stared at the older girl, in utter disbelief with the words reaching her ears. In the calmest voice possible, she responded, "Fuji's a living person with free will, not an object. Of course he doesn't belong to me or anybody else. But I didn't force him into anything—we mutually wanted to be with each other. You can admire him all you want: each one of you is justified to your own feelings. Except, that has nothing to do with me—"

The leader slapped Ayuna with brutal force, breaking her off mid-sentence. Struck off balance, Ayuna's book bag dropped to her feet, spilling notebooks and papers all over the ground. She felt splitting pain at the corner of her lips and blood slowly oozing.

Several girls in the gaggle gasped, cognizant that their leader was beginning to step out of line.

Grinning with satisfaction, the leading girl spat, "Listen up, what I said wasn't a goddamn suggestion. Consider this an official warning: if you don't break up with him, we'll be sure to make your life at Seigaku so much like hell that you'll be begging your parents to drop out. Am I making myself clear?"

Instead of responding, Ayuna straightened herself and raised her hand, whipping the speaker across the face before she blinked twice. Her followers gulped with horror, their jaws dropped and their eyes agape as the scene unfolded before them.